AEL&P workers are our neighbors

Does the community really benefit from the toxic complaints about Alaska Electric Light & Power Co. that have been published recently in the Empire?

These biting and vitriolic attacks on our fellow Juneauites can't have any long-term value other than venting frustration for the writer.

I know I am bracing, as we all are, for our first electric bill that includes the increased diesel surcharge. But has anyone taken the time to thank the Corbus family or the managers at AEL&P for absorbing the first month's increase and assuring fairness in our monthly billing cycle?

I am certainly not well versed in the complexities of electrical power generation, major construction projects or of corporate utility finance. I am, however, extremely thankful that AEL&P has competent local executives, well-educated electrical engineers, managers and line workers working toward a satisfactory solution to one of Juneau's greatest challenges. I'm also grateful that AEL&P produced the cleanest and lowest cost electricity in the state before this natural disaster. This did not happen by itself. It took foresight and planning.

Juneau is a diverse community and is one most of us enjoy for its beauty and small-town nature. Perhaps this predicament will help us awaken our conservation efforts and make Juneau a model community of energy conservation and green technology.